Hird to have his say

[dumb]

David said he’d been told by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou that we were taking performance-enhancing drugs, and I said: “I don’t believe him, David. What source does he have?”

i'm sure stuff gets lost in translation when writing an article, but it's not exactly an unequivocal denial. hird is very delicately portraying things happening beyond his spheres of control. which is a bit at odds with being across the substances via text.

dank's supposed hail mary was the nature of TB-4 meaning it should not be banned (not to mention the compounding loophole).
i do wonder if the naivete hird refers to is simply his belief that the supplements were 'only' very close to the edge, instead of over it.

 

[Chameleon75]

but that relates to Dank, not the players or other staff. I think that was dank's attempt to skirt the S0 clause, not use S2 substances outright

no it refers to the secrecy extending to a couple of coaches, supported by player testimony. and dank didn't sneak in he was employed hes as much part of the club as hird is.

 

[Dugdale2Dwyer]

Going way back to when Hird was on the couch with Gerard and Mike Sheahan, they were very disappointed in James when he got the coaching job because in effect he bare faced lied to them that he wasn't going to coach and they both knew he would, when he left i remember them both saying how disappointed they were with James and that he had blatantly lied to them.
Lying is a James Hird trait, wonder if any of his school mates ever come forward with more James Hird lies?

 

[Sir_Loin]

I dislike hird as much as the next Bloke

I don't think he or the players (or Robinson) set out to cheat

Certainly not on the Marion jones, lance Armstrong scale

But a culture of injecting unknown substances is only a small drop down in the offence scale

What makes hird a villain is his complete and utter narcism and desire to throw everyone and anyone under the bus except take blame himself

If he'd come out early and said I was rookie coach who was gullible and hoodwinked and stood down - his reputation would be in tact and most would think - "hell we all are naive and make mistakes at times"

That isn't what he did - he leaked and litigated like a drunk sailor for 3 years blaming anyone and everyone but himself

He drove the culture - his text messages reveal this

For him to lay the blame solely at other people's feet just highlights his narcism and lack of integrity

Agree - Dank thought he could outsmart WADA. He was wrong. Hirdy et al enabled Dank - and thats what they, the players and the supporters are now getting punished for

 

[Keys]

possibly. However, given Dank's admission to McKenzie, I dont think he even knew he'd crossed the line, let alone Hird

I think it's reasonable to believe dank told hird it was legit and that hird believed him.

However, in the knowledge that the program was close to the edge why would hird accept the assurance from someone new to the club and not have his trusted long term confidant and club doctor confirm it was legit as per the protocol

Maybe, just maybe, he didn't want to know

 

[inyourcool]

no we dont, we are assuming. You are assuming they intended to cheat from day 1, I am assuming they never intended to cheat but didnt follow due diligence.

If that helps you sleep better at night then sure. My interpretation is that they agreed to use these banned substances from the start and the players agreed up front and played an active role in the cover up

 

[ODNBlue]

no we dont, we are assuming. You are assuming they intended to cheat from day 1, I am assuming they never intended to cheat but didnt follow due diligence.

Cheats either way.

 

[chelseacarlton]

no we dont, we are assuming. You are assuming they intended to cheat from day 1, I am assuming they never intended to cheat but didnt follow due diligence.

i disagree.
It is my belief,one founded on the principles of the information clearly available to all those with their eyes wide open.
James said it was the year of truth.
So far he has talked about protocols that weren't adhered to absolving him of any blame.
Where are these massive truth bombs?.
Nada zilch nought.
The protocols are a massive red herring.
He wanted bigger stronger players at any cost and that's why he enlisted dank robinson charter alavi.
He got what he wanted.
It's a difficult time for him and I expect him to one day own up to it.
Eventually they all do.
As we grow older the burden of truth eventually weighs us down so much that there is nothing left but the 'truth'.
He will have his Lance/Oprah moment,just don't expect it tomorrow.
But it will come,guaranteed.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

I think it's reasonable to believe dank told hird it was legit and that hird believed him.

However, in the knowledge that the program was close to the edge why would hird accept the assurance from someone new to the club and not have his trusted long term confidant and club doctor confirm it was legit as per the protocol

Maybe, just maybe, he didn't want to know

Concur.

 

[Milanista28]

The irony is that Hird pumped his players full of stuff to make him appear a better coach.

Ultimately he was dismissed for not being a very good one at all.

Thompson showed in his year in charge how much a competent coach can achieve.

Of course that must have been a terrible insult to Hird's ego. "I want a turn too. I can do it just as good." Like a spoilt brat who can't let others be successful.

Hope the fois gras tasted good. Can't wish anything good on a person like this. The players should throw him under the bus in kind return.

Explain what you mean re the bolded?

 

[evo]

Unhindered by contractual obligations or court proceedings, James Hird speaks exclusively to "Big Footy" about what really happened during Essendon’s disastrous 2012 season.

“Of all of the questions asked by fans in response to Tuesday’s shocking and unfair decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, one stands out: Were you actually coach of Essendon during the 2012 and 2013 seasons?

Today is my first chance to publicly answer this question, unconstrained by the contractual obligations a coach must observe and free of pressure applied by the AFL. I can finally offer a more detailed explanation to 34 young men and their families. Players who absolutely do not deserve this fate.

To put it simply, when I was offered the job of Head Coach at Essendon in September 2010, I didn’t take the job. At least not in any real sense. Sure, I was around the club a bit. I headed press conferences after most/all games. And I took full credit for wins, when we had them. But it’s a leap to say I was in any way in charge of the playing group.

Yes, I taught them about sacrifice, about love for the club, about hard work and trust. I told them about the importance of dying for the club and for the coach. Really, actually dying if necessary. I taught them about winning at all costs. And some hair colouring techniques.

I also demanded loyalty – total unquestioning loyalty. And in return I promised to get to know each and every one of the players personally, to find out what made them tick, what they wanted to achieve, what motivated them to be great players.

So as you can see, I was pretty hands-off.

In 2012 I hired Dean Robinson, and in turn Stephen Dank. I don’t intend to go through every detail of every interaction I had with them, lest I inadvertently give away useful information that sheds light on what actually took place that year.

We got Mark Thompson back in and he told me that the playing group were too small and would be thrown around like rag dolls by the top teams.
I said then, "I'll be buggered if we're going to sit around for five years waiting for these blokes to bulk up a bit" " I didn't say anything more other than "Mark and Macca conduct some drills"

But what I can say is that it was the club’s Sliding Doors moment. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the movie Sliding Doors? Basically it’s about how Gwyneth Paltrow misses a train, setting off two parallel realities, one where she catches her husband having an affair, the other where she doesn’t. In our case we set up a program to inject 34 players with human growth hormone. The similarities are undeniable.

(How different Essendon’s 2013-15 seasons would have been had that selfish arseh*le on the train held the door open for a few more seconds when I was trying to get back to Toorak one night after work. We can only dream).

So as it’s pretty plain to see, I wasn’t really coaching at Essendon in 2012. I ran the odd handball drill, offered a tip here and there about tanning. But that was it. Dean Robinson was in charge of our football club. And as a guy with an impeccable background as a rodeo performer, that made sense.

I circulated the Essendon organisational structure today just to clear up any misunderstandings about reporting lines. But really, there shouldn’t be any surprises. As Head Coach I reported directly to Thomas Bellchambers.

So, in summary, who was really responsible for the injection program that led to 34 players getting suspended for a season? Quite simply, everyone else. The staff, the media, the AFL, and to some extent – let’s be totally honest here – you the members!

But was I in any way responsible, even in some small way? To believe that, you’d also have to believe that I had some kind of senior role, or at least some level of influence at the Essendon Football Club. And that is the stuff of conspiracy theories. You might have to speak to someone in the Windy Hill Car Park to know the answer to that, except they didn't have one at the time. Do you know how difficult it was to actually park near the ground? I spent most of my time at the Moonee Ponds Town Hall clearing up parking tickets. I had no time to do anything else!



Someone has to see the humourous side.

Ahhh, man. I had tears of laughter. Kudos to you, sir.

I'm really going to miss this saga.

Incidentally, Albert is looking rather pink in that photo. He truly is a man of many colours

 

[chelseacarlton]

Early on in the piece the ABC reenacted the meeting between a sports scientist a ceo a coach and one or two other key managers of a football club.
In this reenactment,the sports scientist said he had ways around the code.
He was the smartest guy in the room.
They all agreed and the ship set sail.
To believe anyone from the top down at this football club didn't know that this ship intended to cheat is a monkey in a room full of apes.

 

[Gavin Excell]

The months and years to come will condemn Hird. With the rawness over and distance of time, most will see this for what it is - a systemic doping program overseen by Hird.

 

[teknodeejay]

Explain what you mean re the bolded?

Gladly. In spite of everything going on, he was able to elevate Essendon in-to 7th position and a legitimate finals campaign, albeit a losing one.

Then you know who demands a return and "improves" on that by dumping the club to its lowest finish in a decade and getting the sack / resigning as a result.

 

[Marvel]

 

[sobrave]

Going way back to when Hird was on the couch with Gerard and Mike Sheahan, they were very disappointed in James when he got the coaching job because in effect he bare faced lied to them that he wasn't going to coach and they both knew he would, when he left i remember them both saying how disappointed they were with James and that he had blatantly lied to them.
Lying is a James Hird trait, wonder if any of his school mates ever come forward with more James Hird lies?

Yep, remember this. He was asked point blank several times about coaching on Talking Footy, and he'd look them right in the eye and lie.

All the while working away in the background to unseat Knights.

Disgusting, sociopathic individual.

 

[MisterMarcus]

You know what would be really funny?

If all of Tracey Holmes' guff was just a front to trick Hird into doing an interview with her, and then she gets there and hits him with both barrels tomorrow night.

I might watch on the 0.0001% chance that this is true.

 

[teknodeejay]

Unhindered by contractual obligations or court proceedings, James Hird speaks exclusively to "Big Footy" about what really happened during Essendon’s disastrous 2012 season.

“Of all of the questions asked by fans in response to Tuesday’s shocking and unfair decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, one stands out: Were you actually coach of Essendon during the 2012 and 2013 seasons?

Today is my first chance to publicly answer this question, unconstrained by the contractual obligations a coach must observe and free of pressure applied by the AFL. I can finally offer a more detailed explanation to 34 young men and their families. Players who absolutely do not deserve this fate.

To put it simply, when I was offered the job of Head Coach at Essendon in September 2010, I didn’t take the job. At least not in any real sense. Sure, I was around the club a bit. I headed press conferences after most/all games. And I took full credit for wins, when we had them. But it’s a leap to say I was in any way in charge of the playing group.

Yes, I taught them about sacrifice, about love for the club, about hard work and trust. I told them about the importance of dying for the club and for the coach. Really, actually dying if necessary. I taught them about winning at all costs. And some hair colouring techniques.

I also demanded loyalty – total unquestioning loyalty. And in return I promised to get to know each and every one of the players personally, to find out what made them tick, what they wanted to achieve, what motivated them to be great players.

So as you can see, I was pretty hands-off.

In 2012 I hired Dean Robinson, and in turn Stephen Dank. I don’t intend to go through every detail of every interaction I had with them, lest I inadvertently give away useful information that sheds light on what actually took place that year.

We got Mark Thompson back in and he told me that the playing group were too small and would be thrown around like rag dolls by the top teams.
I said then, "I'll be buggered if we're going to sit around for five years waiting for these blokes to bulk up a bit" " I didn't say anything more other than "Mark and Macca conduct some drills"

But what I can say is that it was the club’s Sliding Doors moment. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the movie Sliding Doors? Basically it’s about how Gwyneth Paltrow misses a train, setting off two parallel realities, one where she catches her husband having an affair, the other where she doesn’t. In our case we set up a program to inject 34 players with human growth hormone. The similarities are undeniable.

(How different Essendon’s 2013-15 seasons would have been had that selfish arseh*le on the train held the door open for a few more seconds when I was trying to get back to Toorak one night after work. We can only dream).

So as it’s pretty plain to see, I wasn’t really coaching at Essendon in 2012. I ran the odd handball drill, offered a tip here and there about tanning. But that was it. Dean Robinson was in charge of our football club. And as a guy with an impeccable background as a rodeo performer, that made sense.

I circulated the Essendon organisational structure today just to clear up any misunderstandings about reporting lines. But really, there shouldn’t be any surprises. As Head Coach I reported directly to Thomas Bellchambers.

So, in summary, who was really responsible for the injection program that led to 34 players getting suspended for a season? Quite simply, everyone else. The staff, the media, the AFL, and to some extent – let’s be totally honest here – you the members!

But was I in any way responsible, even in some small way? To believe that, you’d also have to believe that I had some kind of senior role, or at least some level of influence at the Essendon Football Club. And that is the stuff of conspiracy theories. You might have to speak to someone in the Windy Hill Car Park to know the answer to that, except they didn't have one at the time. Do you know how difficult it was to actually park near the ground? I spent most of my time at the Moonee Ponds Town Hall clearing up parking tickets. I had no time to do anything else!



Someone has to see the humourous side.

If you're the author of The Shovel article, then great work. I found it very funny and on point. If you're not, then you should at least credit the source rather than claim it.

 

[motr]

i still think Hird doesnt believe TB4 was used. He has professed the players innocence constantly, and I cannot imagine he is coming out in the media to confess or say he was wrong. Why would he?

How have you come to this conclusion?

 

[STFU Donnie]

You know what would be really funny?

If all of Tracey Holmes' guff was just a front to trick Hird into doing an interview with her, and then she gets there and hits him with both barrels tomorrow night.

I might watch on the 0.0001% chance that this is true.

0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%

 

[STFU Donnie]

Early on in the piece the ABC reenacted the meeting between a sports scientist a ceo a coach and one or two other key managers of a football club.
In this reenactment,the sports scientist said he had ways around the code.
He was the smartest guy in the room.
They all agreed and the ship set sail.
To believe anyone from the top down at this football club didn't know that this ship intended to cheat is a monkey in a room full of apes.

On 4 Corners, concerning a meeting between the "Scientist" and the Carlton hierarchy. And it wasn't so much "we have a way around the code" as we can run a full on doping scheme, including HGH and get away with it.

Then it seemed to fade away into the background. Always wondered why this angle was never aggressively pursued.

Anyway, I started a thread about this straight after the 4 Corners episode. Can't be stuffed looked for it just at the minute.

 

[chelseacarlton]

On 4 Corners, concerning a meeting between the "Scientist" and the Carlton hierarchy. And it wasn't so much "we have a way around the code" as we can run a full on doping scheme, including HGH and get away with it.

Then it seemed to fade away into the background. Always wondered why this angle was never aggressively pursued.

Anyway, I started a thread about this straight after the 4 Corners episode. Can't be stuffed looked for it just at the minute.

Shit.
Must have replaced the two cheating teams.
Yeh the memory was somewhat vague.
Anyhoo,at ease.

 

[Milanista28]

Gladly. In spite of everything going on, he was able to elevate Essendon in-to 7th position and a legitimate finals campaign, albeit a losing one.

Then you know who demands a return and "improves" on that by dumping the club to its lowest finish in a decade and getting the sack / resigning as a result.

Nothing was really going on in 2014, The media backed off and we were allowed to play unhindered in comparison to 2013 and 2015.

We made the finals in 2011 albeit a losing one also
We played great footy in 2012 early then fell off the cliff, (Collingwood proportions.)
We were 2nd in 2013 going into round 17, We knew from that point we wouldn't be playing finals. Easily the best football we have played since 2002-2003.
2014 Bombers year, Was a good year because we made finals but our 2013 footy would have blown our 2014 footy to bits.
2015, Everything that could have gone wrong did, Had no preseason games to practice game plan, Still beat the premiers mind you, Most injuries to our crucial players I can remember, And the WADA appeal finally broke the players.

 

[Mootsy]

Wait when people say goddards movie, did he film behind the scenes footage or something?

 

[B4Bear]

Robinson sent it out

Is that you James.

Because you seem to have ALL the answers that exonerate yourself from any responsibility for this bumbling fiasco.